x dismiss this message
Did you know you can edit this page?
-
Sign Into Shelfari
-
Choose something to edit
-
Save your contributions
see page history
Description edit
Whiteman is an extraordinary debut novel about a maverick American relief worker deep in the West African bush. When his funding is cut off, Jack Diaz refuses to leave his post, a Muslim village in the Ivory Coast where Christians and Muslims are squaring off for war. Against a backdrop of... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Mamadou: The guide and friend of Jack/Adama. They smoke cigarettes under his mango tree and share experiences. He becomes a AIDS educator around the Worodougou villages.
- Adama Diomandé: The name given to Jack Riaz. He is an aid worker in Cote d'Ivoire. A sexually charged youth, he tries to make the best of the worst of times in Africa.
- Wu: A Chinese herbalist, he befriends Jack/Adama. He loses his son to the wild nature of Africa and then attempts to recapture his loss through his grandson.
- Jack: The Christian name of Adama.
- Sabina: Jack/Adama's prostitute girlfriend. She has a son and a daughter in Africa for whom Jack provides for a time.
- Mariam: Sogbo's wife. She is a woman who sleeps with men when her husband is not around. She takes Jack's money to move to Seguela, the nearest city and the region's capital, to be with her husband.
- Ryan: An aid-worker friend of Jack. He too has a prostitute on the night Jack is introduced to Sabina. He leaves soon after the trouble starts a second time.
- Cathy: Add a description of this character.
- Djamilla: A Peul girl who sells milk to the local tribes in exchange for yams. Jack is sexually frustrated and she is beautiful, so he meets her father, ingratiates himself into the family, and is promised her hand in marriage. He abandons her out of fear and guilt and when he returns her family have gone.
- Mazatou: A local girl who torments Jack/Adama by unwrapping her skirts and winking at him. Eventually she gives in to his lust but still runs away, leaving him unsatisfied. She is abandoned by her fiancé and has to move back to her village.
- Bobi: The new chief who takes over when the previous leader died. He is a warrior who is thought to be able to protect the village in the oncoming tribulations.
- Khadija: Beul's wife. She runs away several times, eventually killing her child. She is then poisoned by her husband.
- Jacques: The French pronunciation of Jack.
- Abou
- Sergio
- Martin
- Worodougou: The tribal identity of the local group.
- Billy: The name of one of Bamba's sheep - the male. He was very aggressive and almost killed his employer's cat.
- Samantha: A fellow aid-worker and friend of Jack.
- Melissa: Another fellow aid-worker.
- Bukari: Djamilla's father. He is a Peul cattle herder and deeply religious. He impresses Jack and comes to respect him like a son.
- Muslim: The religion of the north of the cote d'Ivoire.
- Justine
- Allah: Muslim God.
- Hassan: Owner of the hardware store.
- Whiteman: Name given to Jack/Adama by many of the tribal residents.
- Sogbo: A friend of Jack's who works in the city. Mariam is his wife.
- Marimar
- Bamba: A house-boy for Cathy. He is also her boyfriend.
- Sean
- Didi: Wu's grandson
- Shwalar
- Gaussou: One of the tribal men considered for position of chief after the death of the previous leader. He is thought to be too arrogant, despite his social standing.
First Sentence edit
At nine A.M., the doorbell rang.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Tony D'Souza (Author)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 813.6
Subjects edit
We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.
